Sharp's Aquos S2 has a small price tag and an even smaller bezel

August 8, 2017 3:55 AM PDT

Announced on Tuesday in Beijing, China, Sharp's Aquos S2 is almost all screen.

Screenshot by Daniel Van Boom

Before Samsung and Xiaomi dropped phones with tiny bezels, Sharp introduced the world to edge-to-edge phone displays in 2014 with the Aquos Crystal. The Aquos S2, which is the latest device in the line, pushes the concept further, packing a 5.5-inch display into a tiny frame.

Announced in Beijing on Tuesday, the phone has a small chunk of bezel on the bottom, where its fingerprint scanner lives. It's all screen above that, except for a small circular space for the 8MP front camera. The design is similar to the fabled Essential phone.

The Aquos S2 will retail online from 2,499 yuan, which converts to roughly $370, AU$470 and £185. That's much cheaper than the $750, £689 or AU$1,199 Samsung Galaxy S8, which is the easiest way for you to get your hands on a futuristic, all-screen (almost) no-bezel design.

Of course, it's not a completely fair comparison, with the Aquos S2 not packing the same premium specs as Samsung's flagship. But for the midrange price, you'll get a strong processor, plenty of RAM and a dual camera. If you're willing to fork out an extra $150, AU$190 or £110 for the premium edition, you'll get a better CPU and 2GB more RAM. (The cameras and battery are identical, though.)

Key specs

Qualcomm Snapdragon 630/660 processor

5.5 inch, 2,040x1,080-pixel display

4 or 6GB of RAM

64 or 128GB on-board storage

12 or 8MP rear cameras

8MP front camera

140g, 141.8x72.04x7.9mm (5.5x2.8x0.31 inches)

3,020 mAh battery

The phone will be competing with other midrange beasts from China, including the OnePlus 5 and the Oppo R11. It'll be available for import through Chinese retailer JD, among others, later this month.

About The Author

Daniel Van Boom is CNET Sydney's Asia News Editor. He impresses people with his last name and then promptly disappoints them with his uninteresting personality. He has a dangerous habit of losing himself in television and video game fantasy lands.

About The Author

Zoey is CNET's Asia News Reporter based in Singapore. She prefers variety to monotony and owns an Android mobile device, a Windows PC and Apple's MacBook Pro all at the same time. Outside of the office, she can be found binging on Korean variety shows, if not chilling out with a book at a café recommended by a friend.